1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a frequency-hopped single sideband mobile radio system, and more particularly, to a frequency-hopped single sideband system for use in a cellular mobile radio environment wherein the single sideband signal changes its spectral location every .tau. seconds and the sequence of frequency bands occupied by the single sideband signal is controlled by a suitable scrambling code.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well known that in a cellular mobile communication system increasing the density of users can be achieved by employing spread spectrum modulation techniques rather than conventional FM techniques. A spread spectrum communication system derives its name from a coding technique which translates the usual narrowband information spectrum into a wideband (spread) spectrum which resembles that of noise. There are two spread spectrum systems known in the prior art, namely, phase reversal (or higher or pseudo-random phase modulation) and frequency hopping.
One frequency hopping arrangement is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,276,652 issued to A. M. McCalmont on June 30, 1981, and relates to a signal scrambling system in which the frequency of the information signal band are inverted by heterodyning the information signal with a varying beat frequency. In accordance with the McCalmont arrangement, the beat frequency varies in a sequence of small increments which, in their totality, provide large overall frequency excursions and which, individually, are sufficiently small to avoid the generation of unduly strong spurious signals within the information signal band.
A system employing both the phase reversal and frequency hopping techniques is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,193,030 issued to G. Rabow et al on Mar. 11, 1980. This system applies the coding techniques of the prior art to select the frequency of transmission in a pseudo-random fashion. However, within each frequency hop interval, the signal is further modulated by selecting its phase as 0 degrees or 180 degrees, also in pseudo-random fashion.
The above-described systems, as well as many other prior art systems, employ frequency modulation (FM) techniques. Although frequency modulation systems are wide-spread and highly successful, the ever-increasing demand for higher system capacity, together with a shortage of available frequencies in the microwave spectrum, has led to a search for a more efficient modulation scheme. This search has concentrated on single sideband modulation (SSB), a well-known technique wherein the speech signal is linearly translated in frequency to a spectral location suitable for radio transmission. Unfortunately, with the use of SSB modulation, co-channel interference becomes extremely disturbing to those using the system. One technique for suppressing co-channel interference in SSB systems is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,019,140 issued to R. Swerdlow on Apr. 19, 1977. As disclosed, intelligible crosstalk, or co-channel interference, is substantially eliminated by phase-modulating the AM carrier-wave prior to its modulation by the baseband signal. Such a system, however, would require extensive modification and would be able to accommodate only a small number of users if it were to be used in a cellular mobile radio system employing frequency reuse, and would also subject stationary users to disruption in communications due to frequency-selective fade problems.
A problem remaining in the prior art, therefore, is to provide a method for employing single sideband modulation in a cellular mobile radio system which may serve a large number of users without incurring severe co-channel interference, while having the ability to reduce the probability of complete disruption in communications for those mobiles that are either stationary or at low speeds as found in dense traffic conditions in urban areas.